Dying, Death, and Recovery

The dying system in PF2e creates tense near-death moments with clear mechanical stakes.

Reaching 0 HP: When you drop to 0 HP, you fall unconscious, gain the dying 1 condition, and increase your wounded value by 1. If the blow that dropped you was a critical hit, you gain dying 2 instead. If you had the wounded condition already, add your wounded value to your initial dying value.

Dying Condition (dying 1-4): At the start of each of your turns while dying, you make a recovery check — a flat check (no modifiers) against DC 10 + your current dying value.

• Critical Success: Your dying value decreases by 2.
• Success: Your dying value decreases by 1. If it reaches 0, you regain 1 HP and are no longer dying (but remain prone, unconscious wakes, and you're wounded).
• Failure: Your dying value increases by 1.
• Critical Failure: Your dying value increases by 2.
• Dying 4 = Death. If your dying value ever reaches 4, you die.

Wounded Condition: Each time you recover from dying, your wounded value increases by 1. If you go to 0 HP again, add your wounded value to your new dying value. Wounded 2 + reduced to 0 HP = dying 3 immediately.

Doomed Condition: Reduces the dying threshold. Doomed 1 means you die at dying 3 instead of 4. Doomed 2 means death at dying 2. Caused by powerful negative energy, curses, or certain monsters.

Hero Points and Death: A player can spend a Hero Point when their character's dying value would reach 4 (or doomed threshold). Spending a Hero Point stabilizes you at 0 HP with dying 0 — you're unconscious but alive. This is the primary use of Hero Points.

Stabilizing Allies: Administer First Aid (2 actions, Medicine DC 15) stabilizes a dying creature, stopping their dying value from increasing. Heal spells bring them back to consciousness.